Hi Girls
I just weighed in a lunch and lost 2.4lbs for a total of 12.2lbs in one month. I know this wont last because this is my first month and I am greatful to loose, but I was told that doing the treadmill will build muscle and make me loose less weight. Is this true? I know muscle is more than fat but whats the point in doing exercise if it only builds "muscle". I don't want to be strong just less heavy. And yes I know about inches but all of my other times on WW I have never exercised and did well & now I'm told this. Of course I am going to keep going with this but Im really just looking for opinions. What should I do? (Love your sight Amiee)
I treadmill 30-40 minutes per day 5 to 6 times per week. It is the ONLY thing that kept my weightloss moving. At first I didn't exercise because I was too heavy and tired to do it. But after losing about 15 or 20 pounds I stopped losing and so I started treadmilling. That caused me to start losing again. I have now lost 50 lbs and have 15 more to go to goal. I think if you treadmill on a flat surface vs doing it at an incline, that helps burn the calories more than building muscle. If you do it at an incline (which I sometimes do), you can feel your muscles working harder. But I think if you treadmill on a flat surface, you will lose much more weight than if you are not exercising. At least that has been my experience.
Unless you have freakishly high levels of testosterone, you're not going to "build up" muscle. Think of exercise as turning hamburger into steak. You're taking lumpy fatty flesh and turning it into long sleek muscles. And honestly, the treadmill is just going to burn calories, not build up huge muscles. So don't worry about. Walk as much as you can and enjoy your weight loss.
Walking on the treadmill is a wonderful exercise. You will loose fat and make your muscles "stronger". Your not going to get big or bulky, just tone up.
Walking on the treadmill is mostly cardio, assuming you don't have the incline on. Also remember that adding more muscle to the body even a little causes you to burn more calories, and this helps to elevate your metabolic rate.
I agree with Jena -- it takes an awful lot of very heavy weight lifting for women to bulk up, it's just not the way we're built. Walking uphill will build some muscle, but not enough to make you gain weight -- just enough to increase your metabolism so it will be easier to lose fat!
Congrats on your weightloss! That is wonderful! I must agree with the posts so far and say that walking is excellent. That is what I did when I was just starting out and it will definitely help to keep the weight coming off. So I say go for it!
If you have a buddy maybe you could walk together. When I first started I had a friend that lived in another state and we'd put our ear peices on and talk on our phones while we worked out. It helped to pass the time and it also kept each of us motivated.
Tammy